REINDEER TRAINING

This is a Christmas story in which the children can pretend they are the reindeer, crawling on hands and knees, or they can simply pantomime the activities.

It was a month before Christmas and as usual everyone at the North Pole was very busy. Even the reindeer were preparing by building up their strength for the long hard ride delivering presents on Christmas Eve.
The reindeer woke up early, stretching, shaking their heads, antlers and whole bodies. They then swept their stalls and put down fresh hay. Prancer was hungry so one of Santa's helpers gave them some oats and water for breakfast. They chewed their food slowly and carefully. Dancer decided to have some fun so he pushed open the door with his head and motioned for the others to join him.
Suddenly, all the reindeer stood still. They heard a bell jingle so they raced back to the barn. Santa's Helper lined the deer up for their flight exercises. While he counted, the deer stood on the tips of their hooves and stretched to the top of their antlers. They sprang into the air and floated back. The deer jumped forward as far as possible, then backwards. They hopped on one hoof and then the other. The reindeer stood up straight and bending at their middle, they touched their hind hooves ten times. The most important exercise was to practice galloping in place to build up their leg muscles. Last of all the reindeer stood on their hind legs and squatted five times.
The supper bell rang and the reindeer herded into their stalls for a special delight of peanut butter and cheese which they chewed slowly and carefully. Tired from all their training and fun, Santa's deer curled up in the soft hay, closed their eyes and went to sleep.